Vehicle radiator baffle construction



Ap 16, 1940; G. A. LYON VEHICLE RADIATOR BAFFLE CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 16, 19:57

6 Sheets-Sheet 1 FE UZ 6350205 flLszer-Z ro/v.

mi g.

April 16, 1940. 1 A LYON 2,197,502

VEHICLE RADIATOR BAFFLE CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 16, 1937 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ap I6, 1940. e. A. LYON VEHICLE RADIATOR BAFFLE CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 16, 1937 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 62-01265 flzezer l vo/v.

A ril 16, 1940. G. A. LYON VEHICLE RADIATOR BAFFLE CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 16, 1937 v 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 E???- in? April 16, 1940. A LYON I 2,197,502

VEHICLE RADIATOR BAFFLE CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 16, 1937 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 026! 14 save 7 .Z row.

April 16, 1940. a LYON I 2,197,502

VEHICLE RADIATOR BAFFLE CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 16, 1937 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 FE UP .6504? a: 74 seer [yam Patented Apr. 16-, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFiCE VEHICLE RADIATOR RAFFLE CONSTRUCTION George Albert Lyon, Allenhurst, N. J.

Application January 16, 1937, Serial No. 120,887

9 Claims.

on automobiles, it has also become highly desirable to provide some arrangement to prevent cross circulation of air through the radiator grille in order that the inrushing air may be used with the utmost efficiency under the circumstances. The most desirable arrangement for accomplishing the purposes referred to above would be some equipment which'is inexpensive to construct, which is sturdy and reliable in use, which is entirely free from vibration when applied to a vehicle which is in motion, and which efficiently effects the desired control or" the flow of air to the vehicle radiator.

It is an object of this invention to provide novel equipment possessing these highly desirable characteristics.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel apparatus for controlling the flow of air to radiators which is economical to manufacture, which is rugged and reliable in use, and which may readily be mounted in the front of an automobile radiator or the like.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a novel radiatoraccessory including a baflie plate for disposition in substantially a longitudinal plane between the vehicle radiator and an ornamental radiator grille.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a novel combination of vehicle radiator, vehicle radiator grille, and air baiile plates.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel means for effecting opening and closing of a pair of vertically disposed, rotatably mounted bafiie plates.

Another and still further ohjectof this invention is to provide a novel method of assembling and mounting a radiator bafiie construction between a vehicle radiator and a vehicle radiator grille.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a novel method and means for detachably securing a vehicle radiator bafile construction in desired position on a vehicle.

The novel features which I believe to be characteristic of my invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. My invention itself, however, both as to its organization, manner of construction, and method of operation,

together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection.

with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view partly. in

cross section showing one embodiment of my radiator bafiie construction assembled between the cooling radiator of an automobile and the ornamental radiator grille of the same automobile; v

Figure 2 shows the baffle plateunit removed from its position as shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is afront elevational view of the baflle plate-unit showing the movable bafile plates in closed position; 7

Figures 4 and 5 are cross sectional views looking down on the top of the baffle plate construction, Figure 4 illustrating the movable plates Figure 7 is an enlarged. front view partly in cross section illustrating the lower portion of the baffle plate unit;

Figure 8 is a side elevational view partly in cross section showing a different embodiment of my invention assembled between the cooling radiator of an automobile and the ornamental grille;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary front elevational view partly in cross section of the baffle plate unitillustrated in Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a cross sectional view of the modified baffle plate unit taken along the line XX of Figure 8;

Figure 11 is a side elevational view of a different embodimentof the baiiie plate unit construction wherein only a single baffle plate is employed;

Figure 12 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the single bafile plate unit construction taken along the line X[I--XII of Figure 11;

Figure 13 is an enlarged fragmentary view illustrating in greater detail the manner by which the single baffle plate unit is adapted to be connected to the radiator grille; and

Figure 14 is a side elevational View of a single baflle plate unit construction similar to that shown in Figure 11 with the exception that it is arranged for permanent mounting on the radiator grille.

In Figure l of the drawings, the front portion of an automobile ii] is illustrated and includes in general a cooling radiator M, an ornamental radiator'grille l2, an engine hood l3, and a hood ornament M. The particular design of ornamental radiator grille t2 may, of course, vary through a wide range without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention, it being understood that this grille is merely for the purpose of ornamentation and is almost universally employedon automobiles today. As shown, radiator grille 52 includes a large number of horizontally disposed bars 55 which are secured together in desired space relationship at the front of the automobile by means of afiange l6 and at the rear by a flange (not shown). Bars 15 extend outwardly and rearwardly from front flange it. Radiator grille It! may be conveniently made up of two complementary'halv-es which have their front flanges l8 secured together in any suitable manner, such as by welding or riveting (not shown).

Cooling radiator l i may be of any construction such, for example, as the commonly employed honeycomb radiator, and includes a header l8 which extends a substantial distance into the space between radiator I l and grille l2. Particular note should be taken that due to the fact that header l8 extends out a substantial distance into the space between radiator .H and grille 12, only a relatively small opening is left between header l8 and the opening defining edge .01

grille [2 when hood i3 is raised. Although in order to prevent undue multiplicity of drawings, the entire automobile construction has not been illustrated, it is to be understood that hood i3 is of the type which is pivotally mounted at the rear and adapted to have its front portion raised. A suitable clamping or looking mechanismmust, of course, be provided to secure hood 53 in its closed position. As shown in Figure 1., the front nose 20 of hood I3 is underturned as at 2| .to form a flange for engaging the upper part 22 ofgrille l2. Secured centrally to the top of upper part 22 of grille i2 is a locking stud 23 which has a slot 24 therein adapted to receive the locking arm or cam of hood 13. Looking stud 23 may be secured to grille l2 in any suitable mannersuch, for example, as by means of a bolt 25, the lower portion of stud 23 being appropriately threaded therefor.

The nose 20 .of hood I3 is reinforced by a flange or shelf 26 which extends across the inner portion of the nose in spaced relationship to fiangeiZi. Flange or shelf 26 may be secured to hood 13 in any suitable mannersuch as by welding it at points 21 and 28. The locking mecha- .nism of hood I3 is mounted on shelf 26 .to a stud shaft 29 which is rigidly secured to ornament M and which rotatably extends through hood !3 and shelf 26. Ornament Id and stud shaft 29 are held in desired position by means of a lock nut 30 which is threaded on the lower end of shaft 29. Rigidly secured to shaft 29,.such as by means of a key (not shown), is an eccentricallymcunted disc 3! which is adapted to extend into locking engagement with slot 2 of locking stud 23, as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings. Shelf 25 and underturned flange M of hood were apertured at 32 and 33 respectively to receive stud 23.

From the above description, it will be readily understood that by grasping ornament I4 and rotating it through an angle of substantially 90 locking cam 3! will be rotated out of locking engagement with stud 23, and the hood 53 may then be raised. To look hood I3 in its closed position, it is simply necessary to rotate ornament I ll to bring locking cam 3i back into engagement with slot 24 in stud 23. By providing slot 24 with a cross sectional configuration such as that shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, it

plates 42 and 43 apart and then will be readily understood that locking cam 3! first engages the higher outer portion of slot 2 and then as cam 3i is moved further into slot 24, the surface of cam 3| rides down the slanting curved surface thus bring [hood is into very tight engagement with the top of ornamental grille 52.

Referring now to the lower portion of Figure 1 of the drawings, it will be seen that grille i2 is provided with an interior portion which ex tends first upwardly from the lowermost portion of the grille as at 3?- and then rearwardly and upwardly as at 36. The rear edge of rearwardly extending flange 36 is turned downwardly as at 3'! in close proximity to the base flange of cooling radiator H. Particular note should be taken that lip El! of flange 36 does not engage portion 38 f radiator H but rather leaves a channel 39 therebetween. As may be seen best in Figure '7 of the drawings, the center portion of re .rwardly extending flange 36 is bent gradually upwardly to form a hilllike ridge 40. Hill-like ridge 4 0 of flange 3& thus extends forwardly from radiator II and substantially centrally thereof.

The air bafile unit or winter front structure, which is illustrated in Figures 1 to 8 of the drawings and which will now be described, is designed for permanent installation between the cooling radiator of a motor vehicle and the ornamental grille of the, vehicle. The general nature of the bafile unit which is illustrated as a preferred embodimcnt of this invention may be seen best in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings, while the ner in which it is mounted in the motor vehicle is shown in Figure l of the drawings. Referring now to Figures. 2 and 3, the air bafiie unit or winter front structure includes a central baffle plate 4 and a pair of movable baffle 12 and 43, one on either side of central baffle plate ll which are arranged for relative angular movement with respect thereto. Bafile plates and 43 are pivotally mounted on a pintle 44 which is disposed along the rear-edge d of central bafile plate 4|. Pintle M may be conveniently supported from a bracket 46 which is adapted t have its upper forwardly extending edge 47 engage loclring stud '23 (see Figure 1), forwardly extending end 6'! being suitably apertured at 38.for this purpose. Pintle M is also arranged. to

extend through an upper collar 4!! and a lower r collar 5!! on central baffle plate ll, collars at and 5!) being preferably crimped or otherwise suitably permanently secured to pintle M. Movable plate 42 is provided with a series of bearing collars fill through which pintle Mi extends, and r movable bafile plate 43 is provided with a similar set of bearing collars 5! which are arrai geo. to alternate with collars 58 on bafiie plate 32.

One means which has been found highly satisfactory for determining the angular position of ballle plates 42 and 53 with respect to central baffle plate ll is to provide the structure with a biasing spring 5?. which constantly urges baffle provides some means for limiting the movement caused by biasing spring 52. It will, of course, be understood that any suitable biasing means be employed. the spring 52 which is wound about pintle M and having opposite ends 53 and 54 extending into engagement with baflie plates 42 and d3 respec tively being merely illustrative of one common form of biasing means.

The adjustable abutting means which limits the angular displacement of bailie plates A2 and 43 includes a channel member 55 which is disposed rearwardly of pintle 44. Channel member 55 includes a trough-like or channel upper portion 56 and a relatively flat lower portion 51. The lower portion of channel member 55 terminates in a downwardly extending lip 58 which is adapted to be disposed in the channel 39 between lip 31 of blank 35 ofgrill l2 and lip 38 of radiator H. Secured along the side edges of lip 48 are two spring fingers 59 and til (Figure '7). The lower ends of spring fingers 59 and 60 are curled upwardly as at 5! and 62. The spring fingers 59 and 5B are adapted to engage rearwardly extending flange 36 of grille 12 on opposite sides of ridge 4!). It will thus be observed that the lower end of channel member 55 is arranged for limited rocking movement thereabout.

Bracket from which pintle 44 is. suspended is provided with a downwardly extending rear portion 63 upon which rearwardly extending bolt 54 is mounted. An upwardly extending. lip 65 on channel member 55 is apertured and arranged for free movement over bolt 54. A wing nut 66 which is threaded for engagement with bolt 54 determines the rearward displacement of lip 65 of channel member 55. Since channel portion 55 of channel member 55 extends about the upper portion of pintle 44 into engagement with movable b aille plates 42 and 43, it will be apparent that the angular displacement of bafile plates 42 and 43 depends upon the position of channel portion 55, since biasing spring 52 is constantly urging bafile plates 42 and 43 against the outer edges of the channel portion 56 of channel member 55. The manner in which the movement of channel member 55 effects angular movement of baflle plates 42 and 43 will be best understood from an inspection of Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings. In the full lineposition in Figure 4, channel portion 55 of channel member 55 is shown in its forwardmost position, thereby causing baffle plates 42 and 43 to be disposed in close proximity and alongside of central baffle plate M. In the dotted line position in Figure 4 and in the full line position in Figure 5; channel member 55 has moved rearwardly thereby permitting biasing spring 5?. to act upon baffle plates 42 and 43 to divert them to the position shown. In the dotted line position in Figure 5,

the channel member 55 has moved to its rearwardmo-st position thereby permitting baflle plates 42 and 43 to be moved to the position shown-that is to say, to a position substantially 90 rom their full line position in Figure 4.

As will hereinafter be used, the expression open position will be used to refer to the position of baflle plates 42 and 43 as shown in their full line position in Figure l, that is with baflle plates 42 and 43 disposed in close proximity alongside of central baflie plate 4|. The expression closed position will be used to designate the position of baiile plates 42 and 43 as they appear in their dotted line position in Figure 5, that is when baiile plates 42 and 43 are substantially 180 apart. The reason for this particular terminology is that when b aille plates 42 and 43 are in close proximity to central baffle plate 4!, the maximum amount of inrushing air will pass to radiator H, and when bafile plates 42 and 43 are spread wide apart, the minimum amount of 'inrushing air will pass to radiator II.

locking stud 23.

about pintle 44, as is shown in Figure 6 of the drawings. Although a pair of tabs 61 and68 are shown by way of illustration as one means for preventing lateral displacement of the lower end of channel member 55 with respect to pintle 4-4, 1

it is obvious that many other means may be employed withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope or" this invention, such for example as providing the lower end 51 of channel member 55 with a collar through which pintle 44 extends.

Referring back to Figure 1, the manner in which the bafile plate unitis mounted between radiator H and radiator grille [2 will be described. The forward edge 69 of central baflle plate M is spot welded or otherwise suitably secured to the forward flanges N5 of radiator grille i2. A portion-of the forward edge 69 is preferably serrated as at it! to provide a plurality of tabs H which are disposed alternately on opposite sides of inturned flanges Hi. This further aids in providing a very rigid and rugged mounting for the baffle plate units. As will readily be observed from the differentfigures of the drawings, particularly Figural, baffle plate 4! is provided with a downwardly extending tail portion 12 which extends between the upturned portion 35 of grille I2 and the underturned forward edge of grille i2. Although for purposes of simplicity of illustration and in order to prevent an undue multiplication. of figures, the precise point at which portion 12 terminates is not shown in Figure 1, itis to be understood that the portion 12 terminates at substantially the base of grille l2. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the configuration of central bafiie plate 4i may vary considerably without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention, but

preferably the tail portion 12 of the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figof the bafile plate unit, downwardly extending I lip 58 of channel member 55 is disposed in channel 39, while resilient fingers 59 and 60 straddle hill-like ring portion 45 of grille 12 to engage the sloping surface 35 thereof. As was further pointed out, the bracket arm 45 extends over Thus, when hood I3 is lowered and locked into position, flange 2! of hood l3 presses firmly against end portion 41 of bracket 45, thereby firmly securing the upper rear part of the baflle plate unit in. desired position. In

order to reduce any possibility of vibration, a

tab T3 may be struck down from bracket 45 and spot welded or otherwise suitably secured to the upper rear edge of central bafiie plate 4|.

From the above description it will now be readily apparent that in order to effect control of the flow of air to radiator II, it is simply necessary to adjust wing nut 66 until movable bafile plates 42 and 43 are disposed in desired position. When the vehicle is being operated in the summer time or under conditions where it is desirable to permit the maximum amount of air to flow through radiator H, wing nut 65 is screwed up tight so as to advance channel member 55 to its forwardmost position. Movement of channel member 55 to its forwardrnost position causes movable baflle plates 42 and 43 to be angularly moved to their open position, or that is to say, to their position in close proximity to central baffle plate 4!. During the spring and :fall seasons of the year or at such'times when -.it' is desirable'to slightly reduce the how of air to radiator i Lspring nutfifi is unscrewed slightly therebypermittingmovable bailie plates t2 and 33 to divert to a partly open position. During the winter season of the year or at such times when it'is desired to reduce 1e flow of air to radiator H to the minimum, wing nut 66 is unscrewed until movable baflle plates 42 and 4-3 have diverged to the position indicated in the dotted lines'of Figure 5. Although baflie plates 22 and 43 in their closed position extend in substantial parallelism with the front face of radiator l t, it is to be understood that due to the par" ticular shape of the baflic plates some air is always permitted to flow through radiator H. This is a desirable and necessary feature for radiator constructions of the type which are commonly employed on motive vehicles today It is to be noted that since central baflle plate M is stationary with respect to the vehicle construction, it always extends across the space between the front face of radiator l l and the front of radiator grille l2 irrespective of the position of movable baffle plates 42 and 43. This has been found to be a highly desirable feature for the reason that it prevents cross circulation of the generalbeauty and appearance of the motive vehicle may be still further enhanced by painting or enameling central baffle plate 4! and movable baffle plates 42 and 43 in the same color as that in which the motor vehicle has been painted or in some contrasting color which harmonizes therewith. If desired, central baffle plate M and movable battle plates 42 and 43 may be given a high polished finish such as that produced by chromium plating or the like.

In Figures 8, 9, and 10 of the drawings, I have illustrated an embodiment of my invention wherein an air bafile unit of the general type described in connection with Figures 1 to 7 of the drawings is shown, but in this case the air baffle unit is adapted to be detachably mounted between the radiator and the radiator grille of a motor vehicle, thereby permitting ready removal thereof when desired. In order to simplify the description of those parts in this modification of the invention which are precisely similar to those described in connection with the preferred embodiment of the invention, they have been given the same reference characters. The air bafile unit structure includes a central baffle plate l4 which extends forwardly into close proximity with the front edge of radiator grille E12 but preferably does not engage or otherwise contact the radiator grille. Disposed on opposite sides of central baffle plate 14 are two movable baffle plates and 16 which are rotatably mounted on a pintle Tl by means of alternately disposed bearing collars l8 and I9 amxed to the rear edge of bafiie plates 75 and 16 respectively. Pintle Tl also extends through two collars 8B and M which are formed along the rear edge of central baffle plate 14. Preferably collars and 8| are crimped on pintle T! or otherwise permanently secured thereto, thereby preventing impeded by the action of spring finger 93.

about pintle I1.

Although not specifically illustrated in Figures 8, 9, and 10, it is to be understood that a biasing spring similar to that illustrated in Figure 3 is provided for urging movable baffle plates 15 and Hi away from central baffle plate M. A channel member 82 is provided for cooperation with movable baffie plates 15 and 16 whose main portion is similar to that shown in Figure 2 and includes an upper channel portion 83 and a lower flat portion 84. 1

The lower extremity of channel member 82 is provided with a downwardly extending lip which is adapted to extend into the channel 39 formed by flange 31 of radiator grille l2 and flange 38 on radiator I I. Relatively rigid fingers '86 are secured to the lower portion 8 3 of channel member 82 and are arranged to extend downwardly on either side of hill-like ridge portion 40 into engagement with therearwardly extending flange 36 of radiator grille I2. For a reason which will presently appear, it is important to provide relatively rigid fingers rather than resilient fingers in this embodiment of the invention.

The upper extremity of channel member 82 is bowed out as at 87 and then forwardly in an intermediate slotted portion 88, then upwardly as at 89, and finally forwardly again as at 9!]. portion '90 is provided Withan aperture 9| which is adapted to extend over looking stud 23. Welded or otherwise suitable secured to upwardly extending portion 89 is a downwardly extending flange 92. In proximity to the lower end of flange 92, an L-shaped resilient finger 93 is secured by means of a rivet 9d and is disposed in the manner indicated in Figure 8 of the drawings. L-shaped resilient finger 93 extends upwardly and slightly forwardly and then rearwardly and upwardly in a tip portion 94 which extends through cooperating apertures 95 and 96 in flange 92 and portion 89 respectively. From a careful inspection of Figure 8 of thedrawings, it will readily be understood that resilient finger 93 provides a simple means by which the bafile plate unit may be readily arranged to make a detachable snap-on engagement with the radiator grille of the motor vehicle. Thus, in assembling the air baffle unit, the end portion of the upper bracket is slipped over looking stud 23 and the unit lowered until relatively rigid fingers 86 engage rearwardly extending flange portion 38 of radiator grille l2. As the baffle plate unit is being lowered, resilient finger 93 is depressed by reason of its engagement with the downwardly turned fiange portion 91 of rearwardly extending portion 22 of radiator grille l2. As the air baffle plate unit nears its lowermost position, that is to say, when rigid fingers 86 near the point at which they engage the rearwardly extending flange 36, resilient finger 93 snaps under the lowermost edge of lip portion 97 of rearwardly extending flange 22, thereby causing the tip portion of spring finger 93 to engage the lowermost edge of lip 91. Any tendency now for the air bafile unit to pull upwardly is As will readily be understood by those skilled in the art, the use of a spring finger of this chart acter makes it relatively easy to assemble the air baflie unit in desired position, since only a relatively small force is necessary to depress spring finger 93 when the unit is moving in a downward direction, but a relatively great force End I is necessary toremove the unit, since to cause depressing of spring finger 93 by upward movement of the air baifie unit requires the application of a relatively great force.

From the above description, it is apparent that the channel member 82 is not movable relative to the radiator grille It as it was in the preferred embodiment of the invention. In order to effect the desired opening and closing'of the movable baffle plates 15 and 16, it is therefore necessary in this embodiment of the invention to provide suitable mechanism for causing movement of the pintle ll relative to the channel portion 83 of channel member 82. The mechanism by which this is accomplished will now be described. The lower end of pintle TI is flattened out as at 98 and secured to the fiat portion 84 of channel member 82 by means of rivet 99. The upper end of pintle ll extends through a slot Hill in portion 88 of the upper bracket. Slot I09 extends longitudinally of the bracket and is of sufi'lcient extent to permit the maximum range of movement of pintle T! which is necessary to permit opening and closing of movable bafile plates '55 and 16.

Rigidly secured to pintle H on the upper side of portion 88 is an eccentrically mounted cam member an, the cam member being provided with a suitable boss )2 for receiving a wrench or suitable tool by means of which the cam may be rotatedn Cam lill engages the upwardly extending portion 89 of the upper bracket and thereby'limits the forward movement of pintle I! depending, of course, upon the angular position of cam lfll. inasmuch as the biasing spring associated with movable baflie plates 15- and H3 is constantly urging the baifle plates apart and since this movement in turn tends to urge pintle Tl out of chan-- nel portion 83 of channel member 82, it is obvious that the upper end of pintle TI is biased in a forward direction, the forward movement of pintle ll being limited by the engagement of cam ill! with upwardly extending portion 89 of the upper bracket.

In order to provide sufiicient rigidity to the central baffle plate '14, the lower rear edge I03 of central baffle plate '34 is provided with two downwardlyextending resilient fingers H14 and I05 which extend into engagement with the hill-like ridge ll! of radiator grille [2 on opposite sides thereof. Lateral movement of the lower end of central baffie plate M is thereby prevented.

Lateral displacement of the upper portion of central baffle plate It may be conveniently prevented by providing a downwardly extending flange 92 with a central tab I06 which is centrally slotted as at Q25 for disposition over central bafiie plate l4. Tab I06 thus acts as a yoke to prevent lateral displacement of the upper portion of central baille plate 14. Since movable baiile plates 15 and it are arranged to be moved into close proximity with central baffle plate 14, plates l5 and it are preferably cut out as at lZS to prevent interference with tab I06.

From the above description, it will be apparent that I have provided an extraordinarily simple arrangement by which a multi-plate baffle unit construction may be detachably mounted between a vehicle radiator and a vehicle radiator grille.

In Figures l1, l2, and 13 of the drawings I have illustrated an embodiment of my invention wherein only the central baffle plate is employed, and wherein provision is made for removing the central baffle plate at will. central baffle plate has not been illustrated in Although the single position between the vehicle radiator and the vehicle radiator grille, it is to be understood that it is disposed in precisely the same manner in which the central bafile plate of the multi-baflie plate unit of Figure 8 is' disposed. As shown in Figure 11, the single central baflle plate Ill! is provided with a rear edge I08 which is bent back on itself to increase the rigidity of the plate. To the lower end of rear edge H33 a downwardly extending lip N19 is secured by means of a pair of tabs H0 which are welded or otherwise suitably secured to opposite sides of baflie plate it". Two relatively rigid fingers iii are also provided for engagement with the rearwardly extending flange 36 of ornamental'grille l2 on opposite sides of hilllike ridge thereof.

An upwardly and forwardly extending bracket l [2 is secured to the upper edge H3 of baflie plate H)? by means of a pair of downwardly extending lip portions lit which are welded or otherwise suitably secured to opposite sides of baffle plate 10?. The upper edge portion H5 is apertured as at lit in order to permit bracket H2 to be slipped over looking stud 23 of the motor vehicle. To the upwardly extending intermediate portlon ll; of bracket H2 is secured an L-shaped resilient finger H8 which operates in precisely the same manner spring finger 93 of the embodiment of this invention illustrated in Figure 8. As baffle plate It! is moved downwardly into position, spring finger l i8 is depressed by reason of its engagement with downwardly extending lip ill on flange 22 of grille 52. As bafile plate Ill? reaches its desired position determined by relatively rigid fingers ill, resilient finger Hi3 snaps forwardly into locking engagement with the lowermost edge of lip 91.

While the single bafiie plate form of this inven tion does not provide any means by which the amount of air which flows to radiator H can be controlled, it does prevent cross circulation of air throughradiator grille l2, and it also greatly enhances the general appearance of the motor vehicle by reason of the fact that the normally unobstructed view from one side of the vehicle to the other through the cross bars of the radiator grille is prevented. Baffle plate I07 is preferably painted some color which will harmonize with the color of the car or is chromium plated.

A slightly differentview of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figure 11 of the drawings is shown in Figure 14. In this particular form, a single baffle plate I I9 is employed which is adapted to be permanently secured to the radiator grille l2 in the manner in which the central bafiie plate ll of the preferred embodiment of the invention is secured. That is to say, the forward edge (not shown in Figure 1%) is welded or otherwise suitably secured to the forward flange 16 of radiator grille H2 in the manner described in connection with Figure 1 of the drawings. The

rear edge I20 of baifle plate i It is preferably bent.

back on itself to increase the rigidity of the baflie plate and to reduce the possibility of vibration when the baifie plate is mounted in a motor vehicle. Since the rear edge I20 of baffle plate H9 cannot be rigidly secured to any portion of the motor vehicle in the manner in which the front edge is spot welded to the front flange E6 of radiator grille 12, some means is preferably provided toprevent lateral vibration of the rear of the bafiie plate H9. One means which has been found satisfactory is to provide the upper edge I21 of baiiie plate I IS with a bracket l'22 which is secured to baffle plate H9 by means of a pair of downwardly extending lips I23 which are spot welded or otherwise suitably secured to opposite sides of baiiie plate H9. The upturned end I24 of bracket I22 is adapted to be spot welded to the frontface of downwardly extending lip 91 of flange 22.

The lower rear end of baflle plate H9 is provided with a downwardly extending bracket I26 which is similar to the bracket provided in the modification illustrated in Figure 11 of the drawings. Bracket I26 includes a downwardly extending lip l2? and a pair of relatively rigid fingers l28 which extend on either side of hill-like ridge 40 of radiator grille I2 into contact with the rearwardly extending flange 36. Fingers I28 may be welded or otherwise suitably secured to flange 36, if desired, although it is usually not necessary since the engagement of rigid fingers I28 on opposite sides of hill-like ridge 40 is sufiicient to prevent any lateral displacement of bafile plate II9.

Inasmuch as baffle plate H9 is arranged for permanent installation in the motor vehicle and since it is not necessary to provide some form of detachable snap-on means such as that illustrated in connection with the embodiment shown in Figure 11, the bafiie plate MS may extend up further between radiator II and radiator grille into closer proximity with flange 22. It will, of course, be understood that the precise configuration of the central bafiie plate and the height at which it is arranged for disposition may vary through wide limits without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

While I have shown particular embodiments of my invention, it will of course be understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto, since many modifications may be made, and therefore contemplate by the appended claims to cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. As an article of manufacture, a removable air baffle unit for disposition within a V-shaped ornamental vehicle radiator grille, including a plurality of vertically disposed baiile plates including a central bafiie plate adapted to extend forwardly between the sides of said grille, the remainder of said baffle plates being adapted to be angularly moved with respect to said central said radiator, the combination therewith of a first bafiie plate for angular movement about baffle plate.

2. In a vehicle cooling radiatorand a V-shaped ornamental radiator grille assembly in which said grille is mounted in spaced relationship to vertically disposed bafiie plate rigidly secured along its forward edge to said grille within said V and extending rearwardly therefrom, a pair of baffle plates mounted on either side of said a common axis disposed in spaced relationship to said grille.

3. In a vehicle cooling radiator and a V-shaped ornamental radiator grille assembly in which said grille is mounted in spaced relationship to said radiator, the combination therewith of a vertically disposed baffie plate rigidly secured along its forward edge to. said grille within said V and extending rearwardly therefrom, a pair of battle plates mounted on either side of said first bailie plate for angular movement about the rear edge of said first baflie plate, means for biasing said pair of plates away from said first plate, andmeans including a movablechannel member engaging said pair of plates in proximity to the axis of movement thereof, thereby to adjustably determine the angular position of said pair of plates with respect to said first plate.

4. An air bafiie unit comprising a stationary baffle plate, a pintle mounted along one edge of said baffle plate, a pair of baffle plates disposed on either side of said first bafile plate rotatably mounted on said pintle, a channel member extending along a portion of said pintle arranged for movement to and away from said pintle, biasing means for diverging said pair of baflie plates thereby causing said plates to abut opposite edges of said channel portion, and means for adjusting the spacing between said pintle and the bottom of said channel portion.

5. An air bafile unit comprising a stationary bafile plate, a pintle mounted along one edge of said baffle plate, a pair of bafiie plates disposed on either side of said first baflie plate rotatably mounted on said pintle, a channel member extending along a portion of said pintle arranged for movement to and away from said pintle,

' biasing means for diverging said pair of bafile plates thereby causing said plates to abut opposite edges of said channel portion, and means for moving said channel member thereby to effect adjustable movement of said pair of baflie plates with respect to said first bafile plate.

6. In combination with a radiator grille having side portions with openings therein permitting vision across clear through the grille, of three substantially vertically disposed baflie plates mounted in the space between said side portions, said bafile plates being angularly arranged with respect to each other, the center plate extending in the plane of symmetry of said grille and said other plates being adjustably movable with respect to said center plate.

I. In combination with a radiator core, a radiator grille ahead of and spaced from the core and an engine compartment lid extending over said core to said grille, a partition between the core and the grille and perpendicular to the core, and means associated with the partition for blanketing said core, said partition and said means being adjustable so that in one position their greatest horizontal dimension is less than the greatest horizontal dimension of an opening under said lid between the top of the core and the top of the grille and so that in another position their greatest horizontal dimension in a direction across the core is greater than said dimension of said opening so that said partition and associated means may be inserted through said opening and then be adjusted to blanket a portion of said core wider than said opening.

8. In combination with a radiator core and a radiator grille projecting ahead of the core and having air intake openings in its sides of such a shape as to allow spectators to see across through the grille, an assembly comprising adjustable means for afiecting the flow of air through the grille to the core and means operative irrespective of the adjustment of the first means for blocking vision across through the grille.

9. In combination with a radiator grille whose central portion projects ahead of its side portrons, an assembly insertable as a unit and comprising a partition for blocking sight across the grille and an adjustable baflie for blocking air fiow through the grille.

GEORGE ALBERT LYON. 

